SUMTER COUNTY, GEORGIA – A shocking motive has been revealed in the murder trial of a former Georgia beauty queen accused of killing her boyfriend's 18-month-old son. Prosecutors argue that Trinity Poague, 20, beat the toddler to death in a fit of jealous rage because she resented being a stepmother and wanted a child of her own.
"He Hates Me and I Hate Him"
Poague, a former student at Georgia Southwestern State University, appeared in court on Tuesday to face charges of murder, aggravated battery, and child cruelty. The incident occurred in January 2024 inside her boyfriend Julian Williams’ dorm room while he was out picking up food.
Prosecutor Lewis Lamb told jurors that Poague killed the child, Romeo Angeles, out of resentment. "She wanted to have a child or children with Julian Williams," Lamb said. "But not that child." Hours before the murder, Poague allegedly texted her roommate about the toddler, writing, "I can’t stand being around JD anymore. He hates me and I hate him."
Disturbing Internet Searches
When Williams returned to the dorm, he found his son unresponsive. The child was rushed to the emergency room but died from severe blunt-force trauma to the head and torso. The medical examiner determined his brain had been rendered "useless" by the beating.
Prosecutors revealed that while at the hospital, Poague made incriminating Google searches, including “How do you get a brain bleed?” and “How can a depressed skull fracture go unnoticed?” She initially claimed the child choked on chips, then later claimed he fell off a bed—stories that medical experts testified were inconsistent with his catastrophic injuries.
"A Slap in the Face"
Poague, who was crowned Miss Donalsonville in 2023, has since been stripped of her titles. Following her initial arrest, she was released on a $75,000 bond, a move that outraged the victim's father. "This feels like a slap in the face," Williams said at the time. "She took an innocent 1-year-old’s life."
If convicted on all counts, Poague faces life in prison without parole or the death penalty.
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